Fans think this 'Game of Thrones' theory teased back in season 3 may come true

Robb Stark and his mother Catelyn were leading the
North against the Lannisters.HBO /
Helen Sloan

Warning: Spoilers ahead for all of "Game of Thrones,"
including speculation of future events.

"If you think this has a happy ending, you haven't been paying
attention."

Those sobering words were spoken in the third season of "Game of
Thrones" by Ramsay Bolton, and it felt like he was breaking the
fourth wall,warning viewers not to
hope for the fantasy outcome they may desperately
want.

Just three episodes later, Ramsay's father Roose Bolton played a
key role in the massacre of Rob and Catelyn
Stark — along with the bulk of the Northern
Army — at
the Red Wedding.

From then on, fans had little reason to believe the Starks
would ever get the vengeance they deserve.

But book readers are holding out hope, mainly in the form of an
epic theory which outlines evidence that there's a huge
underground conspiracy among the remaining Northern
lords. The theory is known as "The Grand Northern Conspiracy," and many have good
reason to believe we'll see it come to fruition in season
six.

Here's the short version: The surviving leaders of
the North are still loyal to the Starks, and have a plan to
overthrow the Boltons, take back the North, and name Jon Snow as
their king.

Jon
Snow is Lord Commander of the Night's Watch now — sworn to hold
no titles or lands.HBO

The Evidence

For show-only folks, we're going to have to turn to some
text-based evidence for the basis of this theory. The starting
point happens in "A Storm of Swords," when Robb is discussing his
heir. More specifically, his lack thereof.

In both the show and books, Robb has a wife but no son in line to
become the King in the North should anything happen to him. He
believes Bran and Rickon have been murdered by Theon Greyjoy and
presumes Arya is dead.

That leaves Sansa — but when Robb is still
aliveshe's married to Tyrion Lannister.
The last thing Robb wants is a Lannister in
Winterfell. There are no more Stark children left fit to
inherit Winterfell and the North, as far as Robb knows.

But he did have another brother, one who has Stark blood: Jon
Snow.

In a tense conversation with his mother, Catelyn, Robb insists
that naming Jon his heir is the best plan. When Catelyn points
out that Jon is sworn to never hold lands (part of the Night's
Watch vow), Robb says he can be released from his vows as a
special decree.

When Catelyn also argues that Jon's bastard-status means he has
no rights in the family, Robb says it would be easy enough to
legitimize Jon as a Stark and give him the rights along with the
title of heir.

Robb then holds a council meeting right before the Red
Wedding, asking his lords to sign
his proclamation naming an heir. We're never told
for certain it names Jon — but all signs say it likely did.

So what happened to that letter?

No one really knows. Here's where the speculation comes in.

Jon, Robb, and Bran in the first episode of "Game of
Thrones."HBO

The North Remembers

The theory is based on the hope that Robb's letter was somehow
placed in the hands of a trustworthy Stark loyalist. Though many
of the Stark bannermen and lords were massacred at the Red
Wedding, along with their King himself, some survived.

Now there are lords in the North merely pretending to live
peacefully under the Boltons rule, while truly they are biding
their time to rebel and name Jon their king.

(By the way, this entire theory breakdown written by Redditor/blogger Yeade is long enough to fill
a 44-page PDF. So forgive us for glossing over
the finer points. We highly encourage you to peruse the write-up
in its entirety.)

One of the focal points of the theory is a man named Wyman
Manderly, the Lord of White Harbor. His son Wendel was killed
during the Red Wedding, and book readers believe Wyman is a
central part of a larger conspiracy to unseat the Bolton's and
exact revenge on the Freys.

"The north remembers, and the mummer's farce is almost done,"
Wyman says in the books, hinting that he and
fellow lords have only been pretending to be loyal to the
Stark-traitors. There is also evidence he killed several Freys and baked them into a
pie before serving it at a feast with the
Boltons— but that's a long story in of
itself.

It is also likely that Catelyn Stark — who is zombified in the
books to become an undead Lady Stoneheart — is a rallying point
for these lords. So far there's no hint that Stoneheart will be
in the show, but the rest of the Grand Northern Conspiracy has
made several appearances.

Sansa's new friend in Winterfell may have been in on
the conspiracy.HBO

The Show's Portrayal

Starting in season five of "Game of Thrones," several hints were
dropped about the potential for a real Northern conspiracy. Sansa
Stark arrived back in Winterfell and was greeted by a woman
saying "the North remembers." That same woman was later flayed
alive by Ramsay for promising to help Sansa escape if
need be.

We also got a nod to the Stark loyalists when Stannis
Baratheon offered Winterfell to Jon Snow. Stannis needed Jon's
help rallying the North to his cause, and thought naming Jon a
Stark might help. Jon, ever the Night's Watch loyalist, refused
the offer. But during their conversation, Stannis showed Jon a
note he had received:

Lyanna Mormont's letter to Stannis, rejecting him as
king.HBO

"Bear Island knows no king but the King in the North, whose name
is Stark."

This show-moment was a nod to the book characters, specifically
10-year-old Lyanna Mormont who did in fact reject Stannis as her
king. While it may seem like an endearing notion coming from a
child, perhaps Lyanna knows more than a grown man gives her
credit for. Her house is among those who could know about the
plan to name Jon both a Stark and King.

He is a fat nobleman in his 60’s. He has distinctive rugged
features, a Northern accent, and a distinguished air. Our source
says he has a stirring speech during which he unexpectedly shifts
political allegiances.

The casting didn't list an official name, but this sounds an
awful lot like Wyman Manderly. The show has even provided
precedent for Manderly to appear.

In the brutal Red Wedding scene from season three, there was a
brief shot of several men eating dinner. Wyman's son,
Wendel, was present. You can identify him from the merman on his
coat — the Manderly's house sigil.

Though he went unnamed in the episode, and Wyman hasn't been
heard from yet, some book readers take this as a sign that the
showrunners have been planning the Grand Northern Conspiracy
reveal for a long time.

HBO

Season Six Revelations

If you're a fan of the show, and have made it this far in our
post, you of course know that Jon Snow was left for dead in the
season five finale. That hiccup would make this entire theory
null and void. But fans deep in the throes of "Game of Thrones"
have been speculating for a long about the fate of Jon — and
almost no one believes he's actually staying
dead.

In fact, one set leak from season six filming has fans even
more hyped about the Grand Northern
Conspiracy.

The newest trailers for season six have given us a glimpse of
this fight, and it definitely looks like the North is rising
against their Bolton overlords. Take a look:

HBO

Several of the banners show sigils of known houses, like the
Mormonts, Hornwoods, and Umbers. The shields
in the foreground of this shot are definitely from Bolton — you
can see them again in this snippet from the trailer: